Very Late Coronary Stent Thrombosis After Discontinuation of Antiplatelet Therapy

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with stent placement is widely used to achieve myocardial revascularization in patients with symptomatic ischemic heart disease and significant coronary artery stenosis. Drug-eluting stents are used in most patients undergoing percutaneous angioplasty. Stent thrombosis is an uncommon but serious complication, manifested mostly by sudden death or acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The authors report the case of a 68-year-old patient with acute anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Five years previously, she had had a similar presentation and underwent primary angioplasty of the left anterior descending artery with implantation of a drug-eluting stent. The patient was discharged under antithrombotic therapy. She discontinued antiplatelet therapy and two days later suffered an acute anterior myocardial infarction. Primary angioplasty revealed stent thrombosis

Efeito do tratamento térmico sobre a bioacessibilidade de ferro e zinco em feijão-caupi.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a bioacessibilidade de ferro e de zinco das cultivares de feijão-caupi BRS Xiquexique, BR 17 - Gurguéia e BRS Guariba nos grãos crus e cozidos em panela de pressão com e sem imersão

Efeito do tratamento térmico sobre a bioacessibilidade de ferro e zinco em feijão-caupi.

O feijão-caupi é considerado excelente fonte de ferro e zinco. Avaliar a bioacessibilidade desses microminerais no grão é importante devido ao fato de crianças e gestantes possuírem uma ingesta deficiente. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a bioacessibilidade de ferro e zinco nos grãos cru e cozidos das cultivares BRS Xiquexique, BR 17 - Gurguéia e BRS Guariba em panela de pressão com e sem imersão prévia. A determinação da bioacessibilidade foi realizada pelo método descrito por Luten e colaboradores. O percentual (%) da bioacessibilidade do ferro nos grãos crus foi de 3,65; 2,21 e 2,65% na BRS Xiquexique, BR 17 - Gurguéia e BRS Guariba, respectivamente. Após o cozimento em panela de pressão com imersão, a bioacessibilidade do ferro mostrou variação de 13,98% (BRS Guariba) a 6,85% (BRS Xiquexique) e, sem imersão de 17,28% (BRS Guariba) a 10,98% (BR 17 - Gurguéia). A bioacessibilidade do zinco em grãos crus foi de 38,2% (BRS Xiquexique), 38,8% (BR 17 - Gurguéia) e 47,5% (BRS Guariba) enquanto que cozido em panela de pressão com imersão, o percentual variou de 45,6% (BRS Guariba) a 24,33% (BRS Xiquexique) e, sem imersão, de 45,1% (BRS Guariba) a 43,24% (BRS Xiquexique). O tratamento térmico influenciou na determinação do % de bioacessibilidade de ferro e zinco para as cultivares BRS Xiquexique e BRS Guariba. O cozimento em panela de pressão sem imersão, quanto à bioacessibilidade de ferro e de zinco, mostrou um percentual maior que o cozimento em panela de pressão com imersão para a BRS Xiquexique.CONAC 2012. Disponível em: http://www.conac2012.org/resumos/pdf/124a.pdf. Acesso em: 10 jul. 2013

Computational fact checking from knowledge networks

Traditional fact checking by expert journalists cannot keep up with the enormous volume of information that is now generated online. Computational fact checking may significantly enhance our ability to evaluate the veracity of dubious information. Here we show that the complexities of human fact checking can be approximated quite well by finding the shortest path between concept nodes under properly defined semantic proximity metrics on knowledge graphs. Framed as a network problem this approach is feasible with efficient computational techniques. We evaluate this approach by examining tens of thousands of claims related to history, entertainment, geography, and biographical information using a public knowledge graph extracted from Wikipedia. Statements independently known to be true consistently receive higher support via our method than do false ones. These findings represent a significant step toward scalable computational fact-checking methods that may one day mitigate the spread of harmful misinformation

Inhibition of Autonomic Storm by Epidural Anesthesia Does Not Influence Cardiac Inflammatory Response After Brain Death in Rats

Background. After brain death (BD) donors usually experience cardiac dysfunction, which is responsible for a considerable number of unused organs. Causes of this cardiac dysfunction are not fully understood. Some authors argue that autonomic storm with severe hemodynamic instability leads to inflammatory activation and myocardial dysfunction. Objectives. To investigate the hypothesis that thoracic epidural anesthesia blocks autonomic storm and improves graft condition by reducing the inflammatory response. Methods. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats (250-350 g) allocated to four groups received saline or bupivacaine via an epidural catheter at various times in relation to brain-death induction. Brain death was induced by a sudden increase in intracranial pressure by rapid inflation of a ballon catheter in the extradural space. Blood gases, electrolytes, and lactate analyses were performed at time zero, and 3 and 6 hours. Blood leukocytes were counted at 0 and 6 hours. After 6 hours of BD, we performed euthanasia to measure vascular adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1, intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 on cardiac tissue. Results. Thoracic epidural anesthesia was effective to block the autonomic storm with a significant difference in mean arterial pressure between the untreated (saline) and the bupivacaine group before BD (P < .05). However, no significant difference was observed for the expressions of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 (P > .05). Conclusion. Autonomic storm did not seem to be responsible for the inflammatory changes associated with BD; thoracic epidural anesthesia did not modify the expression of inflammatory mediators although it effectively blocked the autonomic storm

Soluble fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 1 (sFlt1), Endoglin and Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) in Preeclampsia among High Risk Pregnancies

Background: Differences in circulating concentrations of antiangiogenic factors sFlt1 and soluble endoglin (sEng) and the pro-angiogenic growth factor PlGF are reported to precede the onset of preeclampsia weeks to months in low-risk pregnant women. The objective of this study was to investigate whether similar changes can be detected in pregnant women at high-risk to develop the syndrome. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the NICHD MFMU trial of aspirin to prevent preeclampsia in high-risk pregnancies. Serum samples were available from 194 women with pre-existing diabetes, 313 with chronic hypertension, 234 with multifetal gestation, and 252 with a history of preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy. Samples collected across pregnancy were analyzed in a blinded fashion for sFlt1, sEng and PlGF. Results: The odds of developing preeclampsia were significantly increased among women with multiple fetuses for each 2- fold elevation in sFlt1, sEng and the ratio of angiogenic factors (e.g. OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.46-3.32), and significantly decreased for each 2-fold elevation in circulating PlGF (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.30-0.82) between 7 and 26 weeks' gestation. Cross-sectional analysis of the angiogenic factors across gestation showed significant differences during the third trimester in women who develop preeclampsia compared with appropriate controls in all high-risk groups. However, when data were examined in relation to the gestational week when preeclampsia was diagnosed only sFlt1 was significantly higher 2 to 5 weeks before the clinical onset of preeclampsia and only in women with previous preeclampsia. Conclusions: The pattern of elevated concentrations of sFlt1 and sEng, and low PlGF in high-risk pregnant subjects who develop preeclampsia is similar to that reported in low-risk pregnant women. However, differences in these factors among high-risk women who do and do not develop preeclampsia are modest, and do not appear to be clinically useful predictors in these high-risk pregnant women

Ensaio de proficiência da determinação de ferro e zinco em feijão comum e caupi.

Neste trabalho, foi realizada uma comparação interlaboratorial entre dez laboratórios participantes do projeto BioFORT, sendo avaliados os teores de ferro e zinco em feijão comum e feijão caupi previamente moídos.Editora técnica: Marília Regini Nutti